MetroHerald had an exclusive interview yesterday with republican ballader parodyist, Ding Dong Denny O'Reilly.
During the interview, Ding Dong was asked about his best loved track, "The Craic We Had The Day We Died For Ireland", and when he first became involved with the republican cause. He replied:
"I've been a republican since I was a child, My mother used to laugh when she'd tell me how if ever I was given a red bus as a present I would smash it to pieces. And I always ate my greens - whilst refusing to eat carrots. Even to this day, I beleive anything orange has no place in a truly Irish dish. You do realise that it was William of Orange who decreed all carrots should be orange? Apparently they used to be all types of colours".
Thus inspired, I had a quick look on YouTube for some Ding Dong Denny, and came across his excellent History of Ireland.
I'd gladly stand Ding Dong's alter ego, Paul Woodfull, a Guinness or two in appreciation of this fine animation. Listen out for the line: "There was no sex in 1916, I'll tell ya. We were only interested in gettin' out of bondage in them days".
Excellent.
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19 comments:
Yes it deserves an OSCAR Wilde- should be done as stage show/ full length film- how can can the 1916 rising be best appreciated, except as farce?
Other options should and could have been explored- eg,a semi independent whole Ireland with its own parliament, while also under Westminster for one.
Even if the south had still broke away in 1922, the option of a bloodless seperation was hardly entertained.
It's obvious now that selling the line 'we'd be better without the British' was a myth but undertandable people believed it, when memories of the famine and Dublin lockout were raw.
I still keap reading that the early C20 British administation was the most benign known in Ireland for a long time: Just read'Preventing the future- why Ireland was poor for so long': this says there was an early C20 form of the National Health - with employers paying a little towards an employees health costs- and the Catholic Church Successfully opposed this being implented in Ireland- though the rest of the UK got it. Same book also said lack of legal contraception, and huge families made very sure the Irish continued poor.
Even the erudite Garret Fitzgerald came out with this a few years ago," We split away at the right time- as a few years later UK came up with a welfare state- if we'd stayed in till that happened we'd be about 25% better off now, and we might never have broken away then" (!!!!)
And the Irish DO benfit from the NHS- even without living in UK, I gather UK hospitals often take Irish patients for some advanced procedures, I think for free.
Recently I spoke to Peg, 65 yr old Englishwoman, married to an Irishman and here 40 yrs- she says she only has status of a 'migrant worker' as she never took Irish citizenship.So she's only officially entitled to vote in council elections-BUT her local council also accidentally sends her voting cards for Dail elections so she votes in them anyway.HOWEVER ANY ROI born person who goes to live in UK can vote in Westminster elections- a right not given to any other former Commonwealth citizens.
I am about to start a further part time law degree, with a private Dublin college- and its accredited by a UK university.This on top of 1000's of young ROI students who study full time at UK colleges as not enough places/ types of courses here. So nearly 100 yrs later the UK still provides health care, jobs( visas never needed- even before the EU),college places and voting rights - what do we do for them?
As someone from NI I have always been very Shocked at the anti British hatred here - I Never saw anything like it in NI catholics, who have often done very well under John Bull's tyranny.
But I am sure early Irish governments felt it very handy to promote this- as any failings they had could be handily blamed on the Brits.
The book above said this country was Very isolated for a long time- so people did grow up with myths...( yes I know all about the evils the Brits did a Long LONG time ago- and yet many Irish cannot see and appreciate the many benfits this country got from mid C20 from the favourable status the Uk gave its citizens).
The visit by the Queen is a symbol of national maturity-as well as all I said above, the UK is Irelands' biggest trading partner- and is takign 1000s and 1000s of our unemployed -again.
Berlin has a monumnent, erected in the 60's with comments on it from French and German premiers celebrating their co-operation- and declaring there would be no more war between their countries; HOW many millions of Frech and Germans killed each other, just in the C20 alone ??
Yes, Anna. I'd a general election vote myself when I was living in east London. British nationals here, on the other hand, can only vote in local elections.
GM you sure about that ? I thought British subjects resident in the Republic had a vote in everything but Presidential Elections (no loss) and Referenda.
As EU citizens they should certainly be entitled to vote in Euro elections.
Mike
You're right, Mike. Just checked on Citizens' Information, though I'm sure this was not always the case:
The right to vote is as follows:
Irish citizens may vote at every election and referendum;
British citizens may vote at Dáil elections, European elections and local elections;
Other European Union (EU) citizens may vote at European and local elections
Non-EU citizens may vote at local elections only.
Oops- sorry to give wrong info- there’s enough on web :see www.citizenzinformation.ie
“The right to vote is as follows:
Irish citizens may vote at every election and referendum;
British citizens may vote at Dáil elections, European elections and local elections;
Other European Union (EU) citizens may vote at European and local elections
Non-EU citizens may vote at local elections only. “
I will inform my well educated friend Peg she is slightly wrong- she is Barred from Presidential elections and Referenda- but she is officially voting for the Dáil after all.
I Never criticise anyone on this blog, but I don’t understand the comment by ‘Mike’ re British citizens can’t vote in Presidential elections’ No LOSS??’…so we can’t have the Brits meddling in our affairs, even when resident, like Peg for 40 years? And she can’t vote in referenda either, even though those ALSO affect her - tho Irish in UK can. I only remember about 2 UK referenda in 30 yrs- tho one UK wide one will come up in May- and an earlier one in March( exclusively for Wales- on powers of Welsh parliament); Below is qualifying info on the latter:
“Can I vote?
You can vote in the referendum if you are registered to vote in Wales, are 18 or over on 3 March 2011, and are:
a British citizen, or
a qualifying Commonwealth citizen,* or
a citizen of the Irish Republic, or
an EU citizen”
So if a Referenda toppled the Queen in favour of a President, Irish people in UK could vote in that And the subsequent UK Presidential election.
So I’m puzzled by such mean spiritedness by Mike, shown in comment above, could he say:
Why is this ‘no loss‘?
What have we ever done for the Brits in return for the many benefits this country has had from the UK, from mid C20 - to date?
Hi Anna. I think Mike is just saying "no loss" in respect of the presidential role not meaning very much.
Yes you are right GM man, SINCERE apologies to Mike.
Re President: she’s made the country look good abroad and was attuned to ignored people, e.g., residential abuse victims who were invited to the Aras. We need a president as a figure head as global face of Ireland.
President also cut her pay and expenses 2 yrs go- but deaf people like judges took no notice.
Gales of change are coming now when FG says, when in power, they will have referenda to make many changes inc reducing judges pay.
It’s far better to have a President than a hugely expensive hereditary monarchy. Also FG are proposing Presidential terms be cut to 5 years- so an under performing president could be swiftly removed.
Re swift exits and not being in tune with ordinary people;
Mary Hanafin of the NoBreadPeasants?StopWhiningAndEatCakeParty! has Refused to give back the 80,000 Minister’s severance pay she will get. So V nice to see her get hammered on mock election on WWw.boards.ie in my district Dun Laoghaire.
Nearly 12,000 people have already voted in a poll on http://boards.ie/vote.
I looked at results and voted- Glad to know I’ll get a return for 10 Euro invested, at least 1 of my 2 horses will come in.
This site has real looking election slips, very easy to fill in and vote: you can only vote in 1 constituency however.- If you move on and vote in a second constituency, then the vote you made in the 1st one will be deducted.
Results on all constituencies are Very Much as I expected…I think it’s giving a good glimpse of real results, more FF stalwarts will tumble than they expected.
However Barry Cowan SBBIFFO( small brother of Biffo) Does get elected in Offaly but well… die hard FF voters are harder to eradicate than Rasputin.
So I encourage all fans of this blog to drop in and vote, or read the very good results and analyses stats.
* You’ll know where to place your hard won Euro at the bookies.
*Irish abroad can make a sneaky vote. If you normally live in Ireland AND are on the register , click the button ‘yes I am eligible to vote’ and your vote will be counted.
* And do get on Mamanpoulet for a look at a genuine FF canvassers’ handbook.
Looks a bit unfair that Brits are the only non- Irish EU citizens who can vote in the Dail elections. How did that come about? I mean, what did they ever do for us?
They won't let UK prisoners vote in the UK elections so why should we let them vote here?
your man can sure take care of pint in a hurry bh
I always find it funny when I see someone posting comments like "what did the Brits do for us?", Monty Python-esque, from Britain.
Bite. Hand. Feeds.
@Anon 22h35. WEll it's a relatively recent thing that British citizens can vote in Ireland, but when I lived in the UK in the 1980s (I'm an Irish citizen) I had the same voting rights as my British neighbours, but my former British neighbour in Dublin was not allowed to vote in Dail elections. So you see they did give us something the right to vote, long before we gave it to them.
@GM
Bite. Hand. Feeds. LOL
Bite. Hand. Robs more like. ;)
Here's an example. Fascinating.
Perhaps you'd like to disclose your location to us all?
@GM
"Perhaps you'd like to disclose your location to us all?"
What? All 4 of you?
I'll answer that for you, seeing as you won't.
Southampton.
Now please go away with your snide sniping.
TO THE SNIDE SNIPING COWARD
Well done Gombeen Man and others who have exposed this bigoted, probably illiterate and drunken, pig-ignorant lout of a person who seems to have unresolved personality problems with anger and hostility. He should move on, but to God knows where, who would put up with a Neanderthal fool like that?
DBMG
That snide, sniffling eejit is probably a second or third generation Irish person living in England and had been indoctrinated with a load of Blarney.
It is a bit like ‘home-grown’ terrorists who were brought up in England and living in the past. If this person lived in Ireland he would still be a fucking "Amadán"
It's a funny kind of mind-set alright DBMG. I mean living in the UK and slagging it off while praising dear old Oirland's (imagined) virtues. You have to wonder.
It's a bit like your comment on the guy in the Birmingham pub: “The Queen of England has no right to come into our country”. He has lived in Birmingham for 45 years, and his children and grandchildren are English.
That's given me a great laugh, though I have to say it annoys me in equal measure! That Irish fella, living, probably working, watching (adoringly)ENGLISH sports, drinking their water (or beer)etc...Almost as funny as Ding Dong. I have to say his attitude (not Dings, of course) is still alive and well on both sides of the Irish sea. Why? Well there is something profoundly negative in the Irish psyche, present in all ages (almost a state of pure Melancholia) not only regarding England (in my opinion, this is based on an inferiority complex) but anything which is perceived as vulnearable and standing out from the crowd (as was so wonderfully portrayed in Mr Dongs contribution). It's almost hardwired in the DNA. I saw it in individuals, first, second, third generations Irish, both in the U.S. and the UK. I always describe the phenomenon as a strange sense of over familiarity combined with pure envy, profound jealousy, inferiority, a guilt complex and sense of deviousness. Now bad enough when one encounters it abroad but when the uninitiated have to experience the culture for themselves, it's always a jolt to the senses. No nation is perfect but many Irish try to persuade every other nation that all it's woes are due to the British, in one form or other. They were and are not. If anything the Irish are as much to blame for the way the country was and is. Two very obvious examples - which jump right out at you - were the church state relationship and the hysteria which was the celtic tiger (the latter of which the gap actually widened, between the rich and poor). Put simply, THE IRISH CAN NEVER BE SMUG AGAIN. HATE TO BREAK THE BAD NEWS, BUT THE CAT IS WELL AND TRULY OUT OF THE BAG. COUNTLESS THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT CHILDREN WERE DESTROYED BY SUPERSTION AND BY GOOD PEOPLE NOT STANDING UP FOR WHAT WAS RIGHT. EH, THAT WAS AN IRISH THING? WAS IT NOT??? With any luck such facts will eventually seep into the cultural hegemony - Though don't hold your breath!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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